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When your heart is in crisis, doctors will tell you, "Time is muscle." Every minute of delay means damage to the heart muscle because it's not getting enough oxygen. Pain in the chest is often your first warning of a heart attack, so you never want to ignore it.

But common indigestion — also called heartburn or gastrointestinal reflux disorder (GERD) — causes chest pain as well so how can you tell the difference?

First, heart attack pain may spread to the arm, the jaw, or the throat, which is not likely to happen with indigestion. In addition, heart attack pain may diminish if you sit down and rest. Again, that is not likely with indigestion.

How long the pain lasts is another clue. Heart attack pain is often sustained, lasting minutes at a time before ebbing. If the pain is very brief — only a few seconds — or goes on for hours, it is probably heartburn, not a heart attack.

If you get frequent indigestion and recognize the symptoms, you don't need to call 911 every time you feel a twinge. But if you ever have any doubt, get help immediately. Mistaking heartburn for a heart attack only means you may have wasted someone's time. But mistaking a heart attack for heartburn could be fatal.